California, 16 Other States Sue EPA over Fuel Efficiency Standards

A coalition of 17 states and the District of Columbia sued the Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday over Trump administration efforts to roll back Obama-era fuel efficiency standards.

The move comes one month after EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced plans to revise standards for cars and light trucks. Just before he left office, former President Barack Obama’s administration increased the mandatory fuel economy for all domestic vehicles to an average of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.

Pruitt called the Obama administration’s move politically motivated.

“Obama’s EPA cut the midterm evaluation process short with politically charged expediency, made assumptions about the standards that didn’t comport with reality, and set the standards too high,” he said.

Joining California in the lawsuit, which was filed in the District of Columbia, are Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia and the District of Columbia.